Report shows persistence of TV violence

This publicity image released by NBC shows Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in a scene from the TV series, "Hannibal," airing Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST on NBC. NBC says it's pulling an episode of its serial killer drama out of sensitivity to recent violence, including the Boston bombings. The episode, the fourth for the freshman series, will be replaced by another "Hannibal" hour.

Violence, gore and gunplay were staples on prime-time television even in the most sensitive period directly following the Newtown school shooting.

NEW YORK — Violence, gore and gunplay were staples on prime-time television even in the most sensitive period directly following the Newtown school shooting.

A study of 392 prime-time scripted programs on broadcast networks shown during the month following Vice President Joe Biden's January meeting with entertainment industry executives on the topic revealed that 193 had some incident of violence, according to the Parents Television Council. Some are cartoonish — quite literally, with Homer strangling Bart for mouthing off on "The Simpsons" — but there is plenty of gunplay, stabbings and beat-downs.

Here's a sample of the incidents captured by the PTC between Jan. 11 and Feb. 11:

A character on ABC's "Body of Proof" says he dreams of ripping a woman's brain out while she's still alive, but he's shot as he's about to stick a hook up her nose. Then he's pushed off a balcony and killed.

A woman on Fox's "The Following" jams an ice pick into her eye.

A prison riot episode of CBS' "Hawaii Five-O" includes one man trying to kill someone in a laundry room press, a man snapping someone's neck with his legs and a man injected with something that causes a violent convulsion.

A man threatens hospital workers on NBC's "Chicago Fire" with a gun before he's disabled with a Taser.

A gun fight on ABC's "Last Resort" is ignited by one man stabbing another in the abdomen with a screwdriver.

A man on CBS' "Criminal Minds" is shot dead by the FBI as he tries to cut the eyelids off a gallery owner's face.

Two characters on Fox's "Bones" wake to find a corpse hanging from the canopy above their bed, dripping blood onto them.

An already bloody man is dragged into a warehouse on CBS' "The Mentalist," choked to death and thrown in a furnace — all witnessed by a little boy hiding in the building.

A man writhes in pain on Fox's "Fringe" before a parasite violently bursts out of his body. He's surrounded by the bodies of others who had met the same fate.

A scene in ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" features a woman's nightmare about sawing her leg, as blood spurts and she screams in pain.

A gymnastics coach is stabbed several times in the groin on NBC's "Law & Order: SVU."

A man working on a coffee cart on "The Following" is doused with gasoline and burned alive.

On CBS' "Blue Bloods," a man aims a gun at a group of children in the park before he is shot dead.

—Even President Grant on ABC's "Scandal" gets into the act, removing an oxygen mask from a woman's face so she suffocates.

Real life has continued to intrude on television entertainment as the months go by. NBC pulled an episode of its serial killer drama "Hannibal" after the Boston Marathon bombing, as did ABC with a "Castle" episode where a character stepped on a pressure-sensitive bomb. Some Newtown parents objected to a recent "Glee" episode that depicted a school shooting.

"I think it is only going to get worse," said Dr. Victor Strasburger, pediatrics professor at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, who has written frequently on the topic of violence in the media. He said media executives are "not willing to own up to their public health responsibilities."

TV executives are reluctant to talk about violent content, and when pressed question any link between what they air on television and aggressive behavior in real life. Schedules get shifted around when tragic events are in the news, but there's no indication they have changed the types of programs being made. Policy debates have largely overlooked the issue, focusing instead on background checks for gun owners or bans on assault weapons.

Popular Comments

Advertisers invest millions of dollars to show
mere seconds or minutes of stuff on TV believing that it will cause people to
buy their products, vote for them, donate money, save the environment, or watch
another
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9:02 a.m. May 1, 2013

Top comment

Craig Clark

Boulder, CO

What a gruesome list of violent acts in prime time viewing.

Thank
goodness I have Turner Classic Movies to watch at night.

12:41 p.m. May 1, 2013

Top comment

SCfan

clearfield, UT

Regarding Craig Clarks comment, that is really the only way to not view the
stuff that offends. Turn the channel or turn the TV off, period. Apparantly
the public wants this stuff in enough numbers that it is profitable.
That's freedom in
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